Although Kiana said she had come to forage for food near the convenience store, she probably had other motives.
Just as He Cheng-rui had expected, there were indeed traces of a battle with Honkai zombies near the convenience store.
If Kiana came here to investigate traces of the Honkai, then it looks like she'll be entering Senba Academy soon.
But it's right near my home? I never expected her to come this way.
Come to think of it, aren't the two of them meeting a little too early?
Was it because of me?
Changing too much will invite fate's backlash. I won't make that mistake again.
I shouldn't keep Kiana here for now.
Just as He Cheng-rui had thought, after accepting Mei's kindness, Kiana chose to leave. He Cheng-rui did not ask her to stay.
But the gears of fate had already begun to turn.
He said goodbye to Kiana on Saturday, only to find her in his class on Monday.
He Cheng-rui frowned slightly, feeling somewhat irritated, but he could only accept the situation for now.
"Hehehe, this bread is so delicious."
"...Kiana, the teacher won't say anything about you sleeping in class, but could you not disturb the other students?"
A nearby student shook Kiana awake. Kiana sat up, looked around in confusion, then smiled at the classmate and scratched her head.
"...Let's continue with the lesson."
"Mei's cooking is so delicious! I want to eat it every day!"
"That's an exaggeration, Kiana. The teacher's cooking is better than mine."
"Really? I haven't tried it yet!"
As she spoke, Kiana put down her bowl and looked expectantly at He Cheng-rui.
"...Next time."
So why did Kiana end up living with Mei?
He Cheng-rui understood that Siegfried and Raiden Ryoma had been pushing things along behind the scenes, but he was still somewhat irritated that the plot was slipping out of his grasp.
After dinner, the two girls wanted to help wash the dishes, but He Cheng-rui refused.
"Drip, drip."
After he turned off the tap, the remaining droplets continued to fall.
He Cheng-rui stared at the dishes in the sink for a long while, then sighed.
"I should never have given Kiana that bread."
The days that followed were uneventful. Every day, He Cheng-rui did little more than work, read, and give Mei some advice on her cooking.
Even with two Herrscher power banks, his rate of growth was far slower than it had been in the Previous Civilization.
But it was more than enough for the strength level of the current civilization.
On November 16, He Cheng-rui learned that Raiden Ryoma had been arrested.
At least the plot hasn't changed too much yet.
I hope Mei can hold out until March 28 next year before becoming a Herrscher.
Just as expected, once news of Raiden Ryoma's arrest spread, Mei's life underwent earth-shaking changes.
Her once-friendly classmates all began avoiding her, targeting her at every turn.
After some time, Mei would arrive at school every day to find filthy insults carved into her desk.
As she walked down the road, she could also hear others discussing her, though what they said was unbearable to hear.
As the two people closest to Mei, Kiana and He Cheng-rui were naturally affected as well.
But neither of them cared.
"How is it?"
Mei asked nervously as she watched He Cheng-rui taste her cooking.
He Cheng-rui said nothing and merely nodded.
"Yay! Mei, Yoshikage Kira approves of you."
Seeing He Cheng-rui nod, Kiana immediately hugged Mei and cheered.
"Kiana, you're too close."
Mei blushed, but she did not push Kiana away.
"...I don't think getting my approval is worth celebrating. Also, Kiana, could you stop calling me Yoshikage Kira?"
"Hehe, didn't you secretly say something like, 'My name is Yoshikage Kira, I'm 33 years old,' last time? Blah blah blah."
"If you don't want me to call you that, then make me a cake."
"You really know how to drive a hard bargain, Kiana."
He Cheng-rui did not refuse. He got up and made Kiana a cake, and of course Mei got some too.
I'll just treat it as raising a cat, He Cheng-rui thought.
After eating the cake, He Cheng-rui saw the two girls off and returned to his room to rest.
He opened the panel and found that there were three days until the next simulation.
I wonder who I'll draw next time.
The impact of Raiden Ryoma's economic case was still ongoing.
When the three returned home the next day, they found that Mei's home had been sealed off.
At a loss for what to do, the three sat silently on the sofa in He Cheng-rui's home.
I can't let the power bank get away now.
Thinking this, He Cheng-rui spoke up.
"Mei, how much money do you have left?"
"Enough to get by for a while."
"Then stay at my place for the time being."
"This..."
"Kiana, what do you think?"
Seeing Mei hesitate, He Cheng-rui interrupted her and asked for Kiana's opinion.
Kiana immediately understood and at once said that she wanted to stay at He Cheng-rui's place.
"Then it's settled. There are still empty rooms on the first floor. You can clean one up yourselves."
With that, He Cheng-rui got up to prepare dinner.
"Mei, don't just stand there. Come clean up the room."
"It's okay. Even if you don't have a home anymore, I'll always stay with you, Mei!"
As she spoke, Kiana pulled Mei away to clean up the room.
"Mmm, the teacher's cooking is so delicious."
"Of course, Mei's cooking is delicious too!"
Before you continue